Gent Smaakt

What Gent Smaakt does

Gent Smaakt is organized by Smaakt VZW (Vereniging Zonder Winstoogmerk), a Belgian non-profit founded in 2011 that produces an annual free culinary festival in Ghent's historic city center during the Ascension weekend (Hemelvaartweekend). The festival spans five days and is staged across five locations: Korenmarkt, Stadshal, Goudenleeuwplein, Klein Turkije, and Poeljemarkt. It features 65+ local Ghent restaurants, chefs, and food producers offering signature dishes, street food, world cuisine, and regional products, alongside ticketed workshops (chocolate making, fermentation, cooking techniques, typically €15-€25 per seat), a Kids Restaurant program, and accessibility provisions. Attendance peaked at 45,000+ visitors in the 2016 edition.

Revenue is generated through three streams: booth/stand fees paid by the 65+ participating exhibitors, ticketed workshop sales distributed via Eventbrite, and on-site food and beverage transaction fees, with a €2 deposit applied to reusable glasses and cutlery sets. Entry is free for visitors, and the festival is funded in significant part by main commercial partners (Duvel/Moortgat, Silver Tie, Hedin, Coca-Cola) and an institutional partnership with Stad Gent (City of Ghent). Media partners include Njam!, Culinair Ambiance, and Deze Week. Operations are run by a lean team of 1-10 employees on a single four-day annual cycle, with no software platform or proprietary technology stack disclosed.

Name

Gent Smaakt

Legal name

Smaakt VZW

Website

https://gentsmaakt.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gent Smaakt, operated by Smaakt VZW, is a Belgian non-profit that runs a free annual culinary festival in Ghent's historic city center during Ascension weekend, featuring 65+ local restaurants, food producers, paid workshops, and family programming across five public squares.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL), Cooking Classes & Chef-Led Workshops (THAJAGAI), Festival, Fair & Event Mobile Concessions (THAFAHAI)

Keywords

• Culinary festival
• Food festival events
• Gastronomic experiences
• Culinary workshops
• Local food exhibitors

Headquarters

HQ city

Ghent

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor booth fees: Local restaurants, chefs, and food vendors pay fees to participate as exhibitors at the festival across various designated locations (Korenmarkt, Stadshal, Goudenleeuwplein, Klein Turkije, Poeljemarkt).
2. Workshop and event ticket sales: Ticketed workshops and culinary experiences (e.g., chocolate workshops at €25, cooking workshops at €15-20, Kids Restaurant at €5 per child) generate revenue.
3. Food and beverage sales: Visitors purchase food and drinks from exhibitor stands. Payment options include card, cash, and Payconiq by Bancontact app. A €2 deposit is charged for glasses and catering materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gent Smaakt organizes a free five-day annual culinary festival during Ascension weekend (Hemelvaartweekend) in Ghent's historic city center, showcasing 65+ local Ghent restaurants, chefs, and food producers across five locations (Korenmarkt, Stadshal, Goudenleeuwplein, Klein Turkije, Poeljemarkt). The festival offers food and beverage sales, ticketed culinary workshops (chocolate making, fermentation, cooking techniques), a Kids Restaurant program for children aged 9-14, and family-friendly programming with a focus on local Ghent cuisine, world street food, and sustainable dining.

Product overview

Gent Smaakt is a free culinary festival organized by Smaakt VZW in Ghent's historic city center during Ascension weekend. The festival showcases Ghent's culinary diversity across multiple locations (Korenmarkt, Klein Turkije, Goudenleeuwplein, Poeljemarkt, and Stadshal), featuring over 65 local exhibitors offering signature dishes, street food, and local products. The event includes workshops, kids' entertainment, and a children's restaurant program. Gent Smaakt is positioned as the largest open-air restaurant in central Ghent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gent Smaakt Culinary Festival Free five-day annual culinary festival held during Ascension weekend in Ghent's historic city center, showcasing 65+ local restaurants, chefs, and food producers across five designated locations (Korenmarkt, Stadshal, Goudenleeuwplein, Klein Turkije, Poeljemarkt). Open to the general public with food and beverages available for purchase from exhibitor stands.
• Culinary Workshops and Lectures

Quantifiable outcome

• 45,000+ visitors in peak edition (2016)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered main partner, core and minor.

• Duvelmain partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMain partner of Gent Smaakt, providing beer offerings and hosting specialized tasting events like 'Meet the Crafts' workshops.
• Silver Tiemain partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMain partner collaborating on the Kids Restaurant concept.
• Hedinmain partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive partner of Gent Smaakt.
• Stad GentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner and co-organizer providing city support, facilities, and promotion of Ghent as a culinary destination.
• Njam!minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner covering the festival and culinary content.
• Deze WeekminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional media partner.
• Culinair AmbianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCulinary media partner.
• Tallieu & TallieuminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner supporting the festival.
• Coca-ColaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage partner providing soft drink offerings.
• NH Gent BelfortminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHotel partner offering accommodation for visitors.
• Fever TreeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium mixer brand partner.
• JARRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKombucha partner hosting cocktail workshop with Dada Chapel.
• LannoominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher partner organizing workshops with various food experts and presenters.
• ArtevinominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWine education partner hosting cool climate wine workshop.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Stad Leuven Feest: Leuven's annual city festival organized with municipal support in a comparable Flemish city context. Adjacent in format (multi-day free festival with food, music, and family programming) and sponsor ecosystems, but it competes with Gent Smaakt for Flemish municipal and regional FMCG sponsor budgets.
• Brugge Tripel Festival: A Belgian regional culinary/drinks festival with strong local-producer focus and Flemish tourism alignment. Comparable in its Belgian culinary-tourism positioning and free/low-cost public access, but primarily serving the Bruges catchment rather than Ghent.
• Bruxelles Food Festival: A Brussels-based culinary festival featuring Belgian chefs and local food producers in a multi-day public format. Comparable as a regional Belgian food festival competing for the same national sponsor pool (Duvel, Coca-Cola, etc.) and exurban visitors from Ghent's catchment.

Direct peers

• Foodies Festival: A UK touring culinary street-food festival featuring exhibitor stands, chef demos, kids' activities and workshops. Comparable in the mix of ticketed workshops alongside free-flow food stall areas, family programming, and multi-day urban footprint — though operating in the UK rather than the Low Countries.
• Taste of Amsterdam: Part of the Taste Festivals touring brand (also running Taste of London, Taste of Dublin), Taste of Amsterdam is a ticketed multi-day food festival pairing top restaurants with pop-up tasting. Comparable in its city-center footprint, restaurant-led programming, and Belgian/Dutch regional overlap, though its ticketed model differs from Gent Smaakt's free entry.
• Open Keuken Antwerpen: A Belgian culinary festival in Antwerp featuring local restaurants and chefs showcasing signature dishes over multiple days. Closely comparable format: free/low-cost public entry, local-exhibitor focus, and Belgian culinary-tourism positioning, putting it in direct competition for sponsors and visitors.
• Gentse Feesten: Ghent's largest annual multi-day city festival, organized with municipal backing in the same historic center as Gent Smaakt. Directly comparable operating model: free public admission, multi-square footprint, and mixed programming — making it the most obvious peer for audience overlap and partner competition.

Broad incumbents

• Salon du Chocolat Brussels: A larger international chocolate and confectionery expo that has run Brussels editions under the global Salon du Chocolat brand. Comparable in venue-based food exhibitor programming and Belgian culinary branding, but operating at a much larger international trade-and-consumer scale.
• Terra Madre Salone del Gusto: A biennial Slow Food-organized international food fair combining producers, exhibitors, and educational programming. Comparable in its celebration of local/regional producers and educational workshops, but operating as a much larger international event backed by a global movement.
• BBC Good Food Show: Established UK consumer food show featuring exhibitor stalls, chef demonstrations, and ticketed experiences. Comparable in exhibitor-led and workshop-based monetization layers, but at significantly larger scale and with broader brand/IP affiliation than Gent Smaakt's community-festival positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gentsmaakt
• Instagraminstagram.com/gentsmaakt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gent-smaakt-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gent Smaakt